"Moo."
True marketing of the self starts with sharpening the product around a definite brand. Who gets branded? Cows get branded. The original term "branding" refers to burning a mark on livestock to denote their ownership and identity. You may not have taken a hot iron to the ass (I hope), but you most definitely have a brand.
Your brand is the sum of the thoughts and feelings associated with you.
To have a powerful brand you have to have a specific meaning to specific people. Gone are the days of mass marketing where it was possible to appeal to everyone and still matter to anyone. In Purple Cow, Seth Godin talks about how Jalapeno Ice Cream appeals to a very select fringe of the ice cream-eating market. But people who like Jalapeno Ice Cream, really like Jalapeno Ice Cream. These Jalepeno Ice Cream enthusiasts will travel ridiculous distances to get some.
"You cannot make it as a wandering generality. You must become a meaningful specific."
-Zig Ziglar
No one travels far for vanilla. No one craves vanilla at 4 am. No one will defend vanilla when vanilla's reputation is on the line. Vanilla appeals to everyone, as in it doesn't offend anyone. You don't necessarily have to try turn people off. Just know that if your target audience to has strong positive associations with you, those not in your audience may have negative associations with you. Think about some of the powerful personal brands today: Lady Gaga, Bill O'Reilly, Barack Obama- their haters would kill them, their fans would kill for them. In high school, someone will always hate the jocks, the rockers, and the valedictorians. No one hates the quiet average kid who lacks defining qualities- no one know who he is!
Self-branding Question 1:
Who to do you want to matter to?
(Target Audience)
I know there are plenty of people who I will never appeal to. I have a potty mouth and make analogies that sometimes don't make sense. That's fine. The people I do appeal to are cool with that. Anything worth loving is worth talking about. Anything worth talking about is worth talking shit about.
Too many people play it safe and wonder why their resume, their headshot, or their sales pitch gets lost in the sauce. There is too much vanilla out there already. Your better bet is to make your own flavor. Someone, somewhere, will like it. Chances are thats who you want to buy you anyway.
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss
Notice that we want to matter, not force a meaning. What does Jalapeño Ice Cream mean to a Jalapeño Ice Cream enthusiast? I don't know, go ask one. Social media's two-way communication prevents brands from forcing associations as they could in the mass media age. Whole Foods can't force consumers into seeing them as the "green supermarket." Chad Ochocinco can't force his followers into seeing him the "badass NFL receiver" (well, used to be.) However, their actions can influence discussions that may lead to those perceptions.
Self-branding Question 2:
How to you want to matter intially?
(Presentation of Content)
Your message is a projectile. You can determine it's initial direction and velocity (yes I'm a physics nerd, I know), but you can't control the external forces from there- what people will say about it. How you matter comes from what you do, and really who you are. Who to do want to be to your target audience? Assume that role and that's where you'll start. If your brand carries any value, your audience will start talking and effectively develop the brand for you. From their you can only guide, but not steer.
Of course, you need to get the ball off the ground first.
Building your brand means letting go. Letting go of the mass market. You can't please everyone- if you do you will be meaningless to everyone. You can't control your meaning either. People will say what they say, you can only join the conversation. For instance, I want to make character development "cool." I want show how self-improvement isn't just for new agey tree-huggers and bow tie-wearing super-christians (sorry Zig, I'm still a big fan). Obviously its a little hard to do that while still appealing to bow-tie-wearers. Create your message and let it go. Dr. Seuss said so.
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